Latest injury update on Blue Jays’ Brandon Belt: What’s the level of concern?

On Saturday, in the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Minnesota Twins, Jays’ designated hitter Brandon Belt was forced to leave the game with what was believed to be left hamstring tightness. The potential injury resulted from a play in the bottom of the 3rd inning, when Belt scored on an RBI single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Belt appeared to pull up a bit as he crossed the plate and then walked gingerly towards the dugout. He was subsequently replaced by Nathan Lukes in his next at-bat.

Belt underwent an MRI following Saturday’s game to determine the extent of the injury. On Sunday, Jays’ manager John Schneider reported that there was no structural damage in his left hamstring and that it was mainly just inflammation, as he remains out day-to-day with the injury. The Jays didn’t make any corresponding roster moves in spite of Belt’s situation, so hopefully he will be back sooner than later.

Belt had been one of the more solid and reliable offensive contributors for the team in the past few weeks since his horrid start to the 2023 season in April. Since May 4th, he has hit .333 with an OPS of 1.009, with 13 runs scored, 10 doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI, 21 walks and 37 strikeouts. His impressive run had successfully earned him a spot higher in the lineup, including batting in the cleanup spot in recent weeks to spark the team.

With many of his other teammates having on and off, hot and cold streaks for much of the season, other than perhaps Bo Bichette, losing the consistent production that Belt had been providing for any length of time would be troubling news for the Jays, as they have no immediate replacement that could replicate his offensive output.

Hopefully the positive news from the MRI results means we will see Belt back in the lineup in the near future to continue helping the team to many more victories.